Biden: Including immigrants key to stopping extremism in US

[webfact]

Biden: Including immigrants key to stopping extremism in US
By JOSH LEDERMAN

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States must ensure that immigrants are fully included in the fabric of American society to prevent violent ideologies from taking root at home, Vice President Joe Biden said Tuesday as he opened a White House summit on countering extremism and radicalization.

Joining local elected officials, community leaders and religious figures, Biden portrayed the U.S. as far better positioned than Europe, thanks to what he called America's successful record at cultural integration. He said societies must offer immigrants an "affirmative alternative" to extremism, cautioning that military force alone could not address the threat.

Across the Atlantic, deadly terrorist attacks in France, Belgium and Denmark have left Europeans feeling vulnerable to the type of violent ideology promoted by the Islamic State group and once thought to be confined mostly to the Middle East and North Africa.

"National security flows from a sense of community," Biden said, adding that the most important lesson the U.S. can learn is that "inclusion counts."

The White House has sought to use the three-day conference in Washington to stir a sense of urgency about the challenge of preventing home-grown terrorism and the radicalization and recruitment of Americans, particularly disaffected young people. Yet it comes as the Obama administration has struggled to match its stated strategy for fighting IS and other Islamic extremist groups with the realities on the ground in Libya, Yemen and other Mideast hotspots.

On Wednesday, President Barack Obama was to address a gathering at the White House examining the response from U.S. cities, then speak at the State Department on Thursday at a gathering of representatives from roughly 60 countries. The United Kingdom, Jordan, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and France are expected to attend.

Global concerns that the Islamic State is drawing interest and support from communities far away from Iraq and Syria have only grown in recent days. Egypt launched airstrikes against IS positions in Libya, where the group posted video of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians being beheaded, and the U.N. Security Council is considering its own response. Denmark is reeling from a weekend shooting spree by a 22-year-old gunman that authorities believe may have been radicalized in prison.

Biden, in his remarks, held up Boston, Los Angeles and Minneapolis as examples of communities moving ahead with programs to counter extremism locally. He said the goal was to bring together broad coalitions of community leaders so that all Americans — and particularly Muslims — would feel like "we see them."

"We haven't always gotten it right," Biden said. "But we have a lot of experience integrating communities into the American system, the American dream."


-- (c) Associated Press 2015-02-18

[hansgruber]

The problem is they don't want to be part of the fabric. The non assimilated haven't assimilated because they don't believe in their adopted countries ideals and laws.

[TVGerry]

The dishonesty of this government.

They know this is not true and is utter BS, But to push their immigration agenda through, they lie through their teeth, These extremists will still hate America after they're naturalized. Only difference is that if they're caught doing something bad, they'll claim rights as a citizen. Idiot liberals.

[ABCer]

Majority of population in any country is not smart.

The specific problem with USA is - their Leaders aren't smart either.

The 'Ship of Fools' is sailing into dangerous uncharted waters.

[DeaconJohn]

"We haven't always gotten it right."

That's an understatement, Joe.

[ggt]

The views coming from this US Government has gone from laughable to down right astonishing...

The people who speak for this US ruling bunch are so out of touch with reality...

The "including immigrants key to stopping extremism in the US" goes hand in hand with another member of the Obama administration assertion yesterday that we need to look beyond the current little skirmishes in the ME and help get those misunderstood Islamic terrorist jobs...

Heaven and Nirvana help the US develop a coherent foreign policy...they are so lost...and the longer they fail to see the danger...more of the world is lost to extremism...non-Islamic terrorists being wiped from the face of the earth in the most inhumane ways...totally unacceptable...

[pkspeaker]

The problem is the west is reliant on a constant stream of immigrants or their economy starts to implode, their budgets are way to high and they insist on blowing billions on a useless and endless wars of occupations in the ME. Where they gonna get all these cheap labor people, people from east asia and eastern europe are no longer inerested as their lives are fine where they live.. that leaves the Africa and the ME, the places where all this 'war on terror' takes place..so some of them are going to feel increasingly alienated once they are living in the west, especially since there is alot of predjudice and hate directed at them, like what we see on this thread.. when a group of moderate muslims visited the Austin capital building to explore way to responsibly engage government and democracy, a group of extremists christians shows up and screams hate at them-what was insane was that the muslims showed up waving American flags for their 'capitol day'-the 'christians' showed up waving israeli flags! and a leading republican in the state government supports that racists that came to harrass them.

The dishonesty of this government.

They know this is not true and is utter BS, But to push their immigration agenda through, they lie through their teeth, These extremists will still hate America after they're naturalized. Only difference is that if they're caught doing something bad, they'll claim rights as a citizen. Idiot liberals.

Edited February 19, 2015 by pkspeaker

[maidee]

USA dont have a moslim influx / problem as west-europe has ...

[zydeco]

This man is a damn fool.

[Morch]

Considering the relevant figures in the USA as compared with Europe, and assuming that the pace is retained as far as the USA goes, the view presented in the OP might not be incorrect.

The issue with Europe is more to do with immigration policies and lack of long term perspective. Well, that and the soft touch as far as law enforcement goes.

Taking in a trickle of immigrants over a prolonged period of times makes in more likely that they will integrate (or assimilate, whatever term fits) with the host country. When the influx is massive and rapid, the chances for a positive outcome decrease.